Slow starts putting Illini in deep hole

Beckman says Illinois must learn to start fast

CHAMPAIGN — Illinois coach Tim Beckman had a point when he said the Illini outplayed Wisconsin in the second and fourth quarters Saturday.

The Illini outscored the Badgers 32-21. Not too bad.

Unfortunately for Illinois, what happened in the other two quarters also registered on the scoreboard. In those quarters, the Badgers prevailed 35-0. Ouch.

That landslide followed a 17-0 hole the Illini fell into in their loss at Nebraska. One could surmise that the Illini are not properly prepared coming out of the locker room, and it’s a perception Beckman will work to correct this week before Michigan State comes to Champaign.

“We have to start fast,” Beckman said Monday. “That’s what the tempo of this program will be. We’re a team that must start fast and start really fast.”

The problems extend to both sides of the ball and not just the much-maligned defense. The Badgers opened a 21-0 lead after the Illini picked up one first down and had a turnover deep in their own territory on their first three drives.

Wind created problems in both games, the Illini have said, but the conditions were the same for Wisconsin and Nebraska. The ineffectiveness on offense carried over to the defense, which let the Badgers march down the field.

“I think a three-and-out on the first drive is key for setting the tone for the rest of the game,” linebacker Jonathan Brown said. “Lately, every time they get the ball, that first drive they’ve gone down there, punched us in the mouth and scored.”

Beckman said he regretted not taking the wind at Illinois’ back in the third quarter after Wisconsin had two fairly easy touchdown drives on its first two possessions.

“We were down and we probably needed to start fast in the third quarter,” Beckman said. “We needed to get back in the game, so I made a mistake.”

Return games in flux: Injuries have caused some issues for the Illini’s return units.

Both top kick returners, Miles Osei (concussion) and V’Angelo Bentley (foot), who also returns punts, left the game. Osei was doing better Sunday, Beckman said, while Bentley still has his foot in a walking boot and is questionable for Saturday. Beckman will update their status Thursday.

In the interim, there will be a three-way competition among receiver Martize Barr and cornerbacks Darius Mosely and Caleb Day for punt return duty with receiver Ryan Lankford joining the race on kick returns.

Barr had first crack at returning punts Saturday, but he fumbled a return in the fourth quarter.

PSU game time set: The Illini will have an 11 a.m. kickoff for their game at Penn State on Nov. 2. The game will be televised on ABC, ESPN or ESPN2.